A/N: Back again, finally, with the second chapter. I apologize for the long wait, I've just been dealing with some health and school issues. Next chapter will hopefully come sooner.
I was very surprised with the amount of reviews/alerts/favorites I got right off the bat! In a good way, of course. I'm glad people like this story, and hopefully I can continue to please you readers.
Sorry if there's any mistakes, or things that don't make sense. I self edit. Feel free to ask questions.
Enjoy.
Chapter Two
"Hardly an appropriate outfit for this time of year, don't you think Mr. Lamperouge?"
Suzaku closed the door behind him, and ran his eyes over his suspect. At the moment, Lelouch Lamperouge was wearing a black muscle shirt, boxer shorts, and a pair of thick white socks. The pale skin of his thin limbs was covered in goose bumps and had his hands not been cuffed behind his back, Suzaku assumed they would be wrapped around his torso. The man addressed shifted his gaze to meet Suzaku's, annoyance evident in his expression.
"I sincerely apologize for not wearing a suit when I sleep. Anyway, that's irrelevant."
His voice was smooth, confident, and calm. It matched perfectly with his appearance. Suzaku's eyes narrowed. "I'm Detective Kururugi," he said, sitting down across from the black haired man and dropping a thin folder onto the steel table that separated them. Lamperouge glanced at the folder, then back at Suzaku.
"Thrilled to meet you."
"I'm sure. Do you know why you're here?"
Lelouch tilted his head slightly, crossing one slim leg over the other. "My friend was murdered."
Suzaku searched the other man's eyes for emotion. Guilt, grief, satisfaction, anything, but all he saw was indifference and weariness, likely from being woken up in the middle of the night and dragged downtown. He felt resentment begin to materialize inside of him at this lack of concern. Suzaku hated apathy.
"Did you kill her?"
"No."
"I see…" he paused. "Do you know who did?"
Finally, Suzaku saw feeling in the cold pools of violet that until now had revealed nothing.
Anger. Utter hatred was what he saw, if only for a brief moment due to Lamperouge regaining his composure.
"Perhaps, but I have absolutely no inclination to tell you." His voice, while still smooth, was laced with bitterness.
"Do you not trust the police?"
Lelouch let out a short laugh which echoed loudly in the confines of the interrogation room, then leaned forward, glaring at Suzaku through narrowed eyes, and hissed, "the police are merely tools used by Britannia, so no, I don't fucking trust them."
Suzaku raised his eyebrows. Such a deliberate display of animosity towards Britannia, especially to a police officer, was rare. Not because everyone liked the country, but because it was punishable by death. "Mr. Lamperouge, am I correct in assuming that you do not like Britannia?"
"Obviously,"
"Are you aware that I could have you sentenced to death right now for expressing this?"
"Of course,"
They sat in silence for a moment, each gazing absently into the other's eyes, before Suzaku spoke again.
"Who do you trust, then?"
Lelouch seemed surprised at the question, violet orbs widened a fraction and he leaned back. "Hmmm… myself," he said quietly, then smiled and added, "Sometimes."
"Is there a reason for this obvious," Suzaku searched his mind for a word, "cynicism?"
Lelouch's smile faltered and his face molded into an unreadable expression. "Yes."
"Care to elaborate?"
"Not particularly."
Suzaku sighed, deciding to move on to something more relevant to the case. "Your neighbors said that you haven't been around in a few days, which coincidentally is when the murder occurred. Can you explain this to me?"
Lelouch stiffened. "I went to the Ashford's."
"I know that, why?"
Violet eyes narrowed and made a point of looking at the wall behind Suzaku, pale lips arched downwards into a frown. It was clear that he was not going to answer.
"You went to your house and saw Ms Ashford's body, didn't you."
"…Yes."
"Why didn't you call the police?"
"Calling the police wouldn't bring her back, nothing will. Trying is pointless. Besides, I already know who the culprit is, and I'm afraid there's not a lot that you can do to them."
"Oh? And why would that be?" Suzaku asked, an irate edge emerging in his voice due to the fact that they had been talking for over a minute and he still knew nothing more than he did before. To say that Suzaku was impatient was a large understatement.
"I doubt that you will concur with me, but I can't tell you." Lelouch closed his eyes, leaning to one side. Suzaku, for a brief moment, believed he was sleeping and made to shake him awake when long black lashes fluttered open and violet eyes caught his gaze under half closed lids, lips parted. Suzaku froze, unable to stop the thought of capturing those lips with his own from running through his head. His eyes widened, he had a girlfriend, and more importantly, Lelouch was a man. A fairly feminine looking man, however, and he hadn't gotten any action from Kallen lately because of his job, so this was natural, right? He wasn't gay, just deprived. Lelouch smirked, and the officer was certain that his cheeks were stained red at this point. It took a few seconds before Suzaku realized that the other had said something.
"E-excuse me?"
"I said, not that you would believe me if I did."
Suzaku relaxed back into his chair, resting his sweaty palms flat against the steel table and repressing a shiver at the cool contact. Lelouch still looked amused. "What makes you so sure?"
"Trust me."
Suzaku almost laughed out loud at the irony. He instead opted for a cold glare, which the pale man in front of him seemed unfazed by. A few moments passed before Lelouch yawned, tilting his head forward so that his black fringe concealed his face. Suzaku expected him to raise his head again, but furrowed his eyebrows when he remained completely still except for the rhythmic rise and fall of his back.
"Lelouch," he said, leaning forward. No reaction. He glanced at his watch and discovered that it was a little past four in the morning. He sighed, deciding that this time, Lelouch really was asleep.
"Well that was productive."
Gino was sitting in a chair in the middle of a small dimly lit room, pouting as he stared through the two way mirror across from him at the sleeping form of one Lelouch Lamperouge. Suzaku groaned in agreement, falling into a chair beside his friend.
"He's tired; hopefully we can get more out of him tomorrow."
"I guess." It was silent for a few seconds, until a wide, mischievous grin made its way onto Gino's face. "So, you gonna ask him on a date? Take him to questioning and lunch, maybe?"
"Shut up. You know I'm not –" Gino laughed.
"I'm just teasing you, relax, okay? I feel like you're going to explode on me or something." Suzaku frowned, but said nothing. The both gazed absently through the glass in front of them, the brunette wondering if Kallen was asleep or up waiting again, until Gino opened his mouth.
"Don't think I didn't see that blush, though."
"I'm going home." Suzaku stood and stormed out of the room, slamming the door on the sound of his friend's hysterical laughter.
"Where were you?"
The harsh tone in Kallen's voice cut through Suzaku's skin as if it were melted butter. He shut the apartment door quietly before turning towards his angry girlfriend, whose cerulean eyes were narrowed in anger. He swallowed audibly, uncertain and afraid of how she would react to his next words.
"I had to go to-"
"Work?" Her eyes widened and she barked out a short laugh, "Of course."
"Listen, they caught a suspect and I had to go talk to him! It's my responsibility as a cop."
She appeared furious for a while, not saying anything, before her expression softened and she looked away from him.
"What about your responsibility as a lover?" She practically whispered.
Suzaku felt a pang of guilt surge through him, a feeling that had gotten sadly familiar recently when concerning their relationship. She was completely right. Over the past month or so, he had been so engrossed in his job that they barely spent time together, except for sleeping and arguments. He loved her, he really did, and he didn't deserve her. He walked forward and took one of her hands in his, bringing the other up to gentle stroke her cheek. "I love you. I'm sorry that I'm at work so much, but I promise that as soon as I'm done with this case, I'll take a vacation and we can go wherever you want to, okay? Please?"
She glanced up at him through fine strands of magenta hair, and he smiled reassuringly. She returned the gesture, cupping her free hand at the base of his neck and leaning forward to take him into a gentle kiss.
"Let me get dressed and we'll go out for breakfast, yeah? It's nearly five thirty and I'm quite awake by now." She began walking away to their bedroom, but stopped after a few moments to look at him over her shoulder with a glint in her eye. "Well? Aren't you coming with me? You've been wearing those clothes for what, three days now?"
He sent her a playful glare. "Just yesterday, actually, now come on."
"So, tell me about the case." Kallen asked casually, tearing off a small piece of toast and using it to gesture at Suzaku, then popping it in between her bright red lips. It was about a quarter after six, and the sun was beginning to rise, causing the clouds to become stained with pink, red and orange as daylight began to show itself. Suzaku tore his eyes away from the sky outside the window and sighed.
"Well, the crime isn't all that unusual. Murder, single victim, but the evidence is strange, some fingerprints were lifted that aren't even in the database, and the guy who owns the apartment where she was found says he didn't kill her, but that he knows who did and won't tell me." Kallen raised her eyebrows in a combination of curiosity and surprise. "I don't know what to think, except that Lamperouge obviously knows more than he's telling us."
"Obviously."
Silence ensued for a moment, Kallen apparently fully engrossed in her pancakes and Suzaku mulling over his job. The former glanced and her boyfriend's plate and sighed.
"You're barely even touched your breakfast. You always get like this, you damn worrywart."
He looked up at her, expecting to be greeted with the face of a pissed off woman, but was pleasantly surprised when he saw that she was smiling affectionately. His emerald eyes widened, and she must have seen the shock in his expression because she poked his chest lightly with her fork.
"Don't act like seeing me happy is some sort of rarity, asshole." She said with a smirk.
Suzaku smiled genuinely, grasping her wrist, pulling her hand to his face and placing a kiss on one of the knuckles. She scoffed, but Suzaku did not miss the blush that crept on to her fair cheeks.
"We've discussed my work life enough, how about you? How is your job going?"
Kallen was a master in karate, despite her young age, and gave lessons to those seeking to become equally as strong. It never ceased to amuse Suzaku that most of her students were older than she was.
"Really good, actually, there's a competition coming up soon and I'm sure that we're going to dominate. The students this year are fantastic."
Suzaku grinned at her confidence, which was one of the many things that had first attracted him to her.
"I'm sure the other teams are shivering already. Tell me the date and I'll come to watch." The joy in her smile brought pleasant warmth to his chest. He glanced at his watch. "Right now, though, I have work. See you later." He leaned over the table to place a short kiss on her rosy lips and stood with a content grin before walking out of the café.
"…I love you." Kallen said to the retreating back of her lover. She sighed softly.
"Suzaku, you look happy," Gino narrowed his eyes upon seeing his partner enter the building in seemingly high spirits, a contrast to his earlier mood, and tilted his head to the side. "What's wrong with you?"
The brunette laughed, causing Gino to mutter something about 'exhaustion'.
"I'm just in a good mood, I had breakfast with Kallen, so don't ruin it." He said as they began walking towards the room where Lamperouge was still being detained. "Did you get any more out of him?"
"Not really. I went to talk to him about twenty minutes ago when he woke up, but he didn't tell me anything that he hasn't already told you." The tall blonde pouted. "Are you gonna go back in?"
"Yeah," he said. They turned a corner, opened a heavy black door, and found themselves facing a messy haired, red eyed Lelouch Lamperouge.
"Yo, Lelouch!" Gino called from behind Suzaku, waving. Both of the other men in the room winced. "Well I'll leave you here, Suzy. I'll be watching!" With a not-so-subtle wink, he was gone, and Suzaku felt a familiar rush of blood to his face. He turned back to Lamperouge, who either did not notice Gino's behavior or chose not to acknowledge it, because he was gazing at the wall behind Suzaku with a blank expression.
"I see you've met my partner."
Lelouch blinked, his violet irises darting from the wall to lock with Suzaku's.
"Unfortunately," he said, sending a quick glare in the direction of the large mirror. Suzaku could imagine Gino laughing on the other side.
"I share that sentiment, but that's not what we're here to discuss, is it?"
Lelouch shrugged. "You brought it up."
Anger briefly flooded Suzaku's senses, his fists clenched and his lips formed a frown. Lelouch just watched him, looking almost bored. Suzaku, having done many interrogations and therefore having to have dealt with many rude, irritating, self righteous bastards, quickly regained his composure.
"Yes, well, either way it doesn't matter. What matters is finding whoever killed Ms. Ashford and making sure they receive the appropriate punishment, don't you agree?"
Lelouch stared at Suzaku for a long moment; his purple eyes appeared to be looking right through him, or rather inside his mind. It was unnerving to say the least. Finally, he looked away.
"You're going to think I'm mental, but I guess I'll tell you," he began, pausing to take a breath. "The man who killed Milly…
is Schneizel el Britannia."
Suzaku blinked, once, twice, three times, before bursting out into fits of laughter. Accusing a member of the royal family was completely absurd. Lelouch did not seem surprised at all with the reaction; he rolled his eyes and pursed his lips into a scowl. After about twenty seconds of loud, obnoxious laughter, Suzaku realized that his suspect was not laughing along with him. He furrowed his eyebrows and stared incredulously at the man before him.
"You're actually serious? Do you know how ridiculous that is? I should have you executed this very second!"
"Go ahead; I'd rather be dead than live in some sick empire where the royal family is made up of insensitive murderers for the rest of my life."
Suzaku's eyes widened. Was this man insane? He took two quick steps forward and slammed both his palms down on the hard surface of the table. Lelouch did not flinch.
"What the fuck did you just say?"
"Britannia deserves to crumble and rot."
Patriotism and loyalty overwhelmed Suzaku's mind as all common sense abandoned him. In the span of about three seconds, he had delivered a wicked punch to the side of Lelouch's jaw. Three more seconds later, he was winding his arm back for another blow only to have his fist caught mid swing by a stern looking Gino. Lelouch now lay on the floor, spitting blood out of his mouth and glaring knives at the officer.
"That's quite enough."
Despite Gino's normally calm, carefree demeanor, there was a side of him that could get extremely serious. He was taller than Suzaku, and, though the brunette knew he could stand his ground in a fight against him, he had no desire to do so. He relaxed his arm, which Gino then released hesitantly, and walked straight out of the room, around the corner, and out of an exit into the cool air. Knowing Gino, the man would likely stay behind to help Lelouch.
Suzaku sat down on the curb, facing the police station's parking lot, and sighed. Lelouch… who was he? Such blatant hatred for the empire was uncommon. Perhaps something had happened to make him so bitter, like a family member being executed. The girl in the photo, did it have something to do with her?
…He was thinking way too much. He dug around impatiently in his jacket pocket, finally grabbing a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He took one out of the pack and brought it to his lips, lit it, and took a long drag, closing his eyes. Resting his back against the wall of the building, he continued to smoke until he felt fully relaxed. It was a bad habit, he knew it, but somehow that didn't bother him. He didn't do it very often, a couple times a week usually. If it was Kallen, he was sure he'd be furious, but it was different when it was himself with the problem. He stubbed in out on the cool cement beside him and stood.
He stepped on the butt, staring at his foot for a moment, just thinking. He shook his head and went back inside, blinking at the sudden decrease in light. Once his vision was adjusted, he spotted Gino walking towards him with his mischievous grin back in place. "Hello," he practically sang, and then passed right by. Suzaku blinked.
"What…"
"Detective Kururugi!" Upon hearing his name called, the brunette turned to face the owner of the voice. It was the chief of police, Jeremiah Gottwald. The man was tall and muscular with teal hair that was swept back and bright, piercing orange-hued eyes. Suzaku immediately straightened himself and nodded.
"Yes, sir?"
"I need you to come to my office. I have an assignment for you." With that, he turned on his heel and began to walk briskly in the opposite direction. Suzaku followed close behind. The chief stopped abruptly in front of a large mahogany door, causing the younger man to almost bump into him. He opened the door, which led into a large office, and sat down behind his desk. Suzaku took a seat on the opposite side.
"What's the assignment, sir?" Jeremiah stared at him with narrowed eyes, slowly opening his mouth to speak.
"Weinberg was in here earlier telling me about the case you're working on," he began. Inwardly, Suzaku cringed. Gino had acted very strange when he saw him in the hall minutes ago. Something was about to happen, and he probably wasn't going to like it…
"As you know, it would be unwise for your suspect to return to his home after what has occurred," Suzaku nodded, starting to feel exceedingly uneasy. "Your partner recommended that he might stay with someone from the police force until he has settled back into normal circumstances, and his safety is ensured." The brunette's heart was beating very, very fast at this point, and his leg was beginning to twitch, but Jeremiah couldn't agree with Gino's ridiculous idea…
Could he?
"He suggested you," Suzaku began to build up hope that the Chief would begin to laugh and tell him that it was just a joke, "and I agree." His hope perished instantly.
It took a few seconds for Suzaku to speak. "But...what? I-"
"This is an order, Kururugi. Until we have the perpetrator of this crime behind bars, Lelouch Lamperouge will be staying with you at your home."
Shit.
Oh snap! How will this play out? You'll have to wait until next time. ;)
Thanks. R&R.
